EP 113 - Evolution Of A Song - ”The Ballad Of Billy The Kid”

Glass Houses - A Billy Joel Podcast

In the last installment of our Evolution of a Song series, we explored an older song that sported a studio arrangement that couldn’t be replicated live. The same can be said of "The Ballad Of Billy The Kid," the subject of this episode.

While the live version on Songs in the Attic became the definitive one for many fans, the Ballad of Billy the Kid studio recording featured a full string section. It was an element that couldn’t make the stage until synthesizer technology improved around a decade after the song’s release.

Until then, Billy’s various lineups tinkered with different approaches and arrangements. And, as with the Entertainer, that includes a live document prior to its studio recording.

Unlike The Entertainer, however, "Billy the Kid" was never put out to pasture. Even if it didn’t run in every race, the song left the stable regularly since its inception.

But enough horsing around. Join us as we dig deep into "The Ballad of Billy the Kid."

THE BALLD OF BILLY THE KID - Evolution of a Song Playlist

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Produced by Michael Grosvenor & Jack Firneno for Glass Houses Media, LLC

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